October 22, 2022 Oceantic Network’s Proposal for Coordinated Transmission Development for Offshore Wind in Multi-State RTOs outlines a framework for greater regional collaboration on offshore wind transmission planning and buildout. The policy brief, authored by John Dalton, President of Power Advisory LLC and head of the Network’s Grid & Transmission Working Group, was released ahead of the expected published results of New Jersey’s offshore wind transmission solicitation to connect 7.5 GW of generation to the grid. The brief builds upon the evident success of the state’s transmission solicitation, which spurred dozens of private sector bids, and offers a framework for multi-state transmission solicitations within the same regional transmission organization (RTO). The policy brief outlines five key principles to developing a multi-state transmission solicitation, from accessing potential environmental and economic benefits to developing cost allocation proposals. Key insights, especially learning from New Jersey’s State Agreement Approach, include the need for proactive engagement of an RTO, the need for a robust analysis of potential costs and benefits, and a well-defined policy objectives to guide any solicitation. This is the third publication of the Network’s Grid & Transmission Working Group, which previously laid out the need for coordinated transmission planning and argued federal government action would be instrumental in driving long-term and large-scale grid planning in its first two reports. Download the Coordinated Transmission Development for Offshore Wind in Multi-State RTOs
October 15, 2022 Oceantic Network releases its U.S. Offshore Wind Quarterly Market Report in April, July, October, and January. Each quarterly report builds off our U.S. Offshore Wind Annual Market Report and provides key analysis of both federal and state government activities impacting the U.S. offshore wind industry. Quarterly Reports ensure companies are informed on offshore wind industry developments affecting their business. The penultimate three months of 2022 (Q3) are covered by the Q3 2022 U.S. Offshore Wind Market Report.
July 28, 2022Our guest this episode is Scott Jensen, Director of the Rhode Island Dept. of Labor and Training. We start by looking at the Block Island Wind Farm, the nation’s first and still only operating offshore wind project, and how it has shaped the workforce in the state. We then talk about Governor Gina Raimondo’s vision for offshore wind and for positioning the state as a leader in continuing to meet the industry’s workforce needs. We then dive into some of the industry’s challenges and gaps, discuss some of Rhode Island’s unique resource and programs, and even touch on the origins of the Quonset Hut. We close with Scott sharing some of his perspective having served in two gubernatorial administrations in two states at two different stages of the offshore wind industry. Resources mentioned in the show include: Real Jobs Rhode Island Quonset Development Corporation ProvPort Recorded July 25, 2019. Published August 20, 2019.
July 28, 2022Our guest this episode is Lorry Wagner, president of LEEDCo, the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, and the developer of Icebreaker Wind. LEEDCo is fairly unique as an offshore wind developer in that it’s a non-profit organization rather than a for-profit developer. So we start our conversation with the story of LEEDCo’s formation, and then we discuss the Icebreaker Wind project, soon to be the nation’s first and only offshore wind project in fresh waters. We cover the project details, where it stands in the permitting and approval process and the expected construction timetable. Lorry discusses his approach to partnering with Tier 1 suppliers and other businesses to make the project happen, and shares his thoughts on ways to develop a domestic supply chain of local content to serve this new industry. Lorry shares his observations about how the Oceantic Network and the IPF — the Network’s International Partnering Forum conference — have evolved and grown, and we close with him sharing a neat but unexpected development with Icebreaker Wind. In our conversation Lorry mentioned that Icebreaker Wind has received 13 of the 14 approvals it needs to move forward. Just a couple weeks after we recorded this episode, the project achieved an agreement with staff at the Ohio Power Siting Board. Lorry is optimistic that this agreement will move the project that much closer to getting final approval from the Board and hopefully a permit this fall. Recorded April 10, 2019. Published June 21, 2019.
July 28, 2022Our guest this episode is Jason Folsom, National Sales Director for MHI Vestas U.S. Jason has been active in the offshore wind industry for more than a decade and has seen a lot of changes, so we start our conversation with Jason himself and his background. Then we discuss MHI Vestas, its background and its business development focus in the industry. Then we look at the US industry more broadly, how the domestic supply chain might develop, and how local businesses can find their niche within the industry. We close by looking at the role of technology and how technological advances may shape the industry moving forward. Recorded April 8, 2019. Published May 8, 2019.
July 20, 2022 Offshore wind is quickly becoming a national industry in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is advancing Wind Energy Areas in every major U.S. body of water – the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. Broader market policy alignment between state and federal governments on offshore wind is driving the creation of a national offshore wind supply chain. Suppliers for offshore wind projects are now located in more than 30 states. These range from Washington State-based companies working on Vineyard Wind (a Massachusetts project), to Texas-based manufacturing of the first U.S.-made offshore wind substation, which will be a part of the South Fork Wind project, planned for installation 35 miles east of Montauk, New York. Nexans has expanded its South Carolina cable manufacturing facility to produce high-voltage subsea cables. Ports in the Northeast are now breaking ground on facilities that, within the next few years, will be routinely handling offshore wind turbine components destined for installation in U.S. waters. There are also multiple vessels being constructed in Gulf of Mexico states, with steel supplied by companies located in Alabama, West Virginia, and other states. More details and information is available in the full report. Access and view the 2022 Market Report.
